Behaviourist and Humanist Approaches to Learning

Behaviourist and Humanist Approaches to Learning The means and style by which material is delivered to a learner depends upon a number of factors, not least of which are the traditions of the environment in which they are being presented. The aim of this essay is to explore both behaviourist and humanist approaches to learning and whether there is a place for the latter in a military environment. The behaviourist approach to learning is traditionally used in both military and school environments: it was the main theory from the 1940s to the 1970s. The ideas that give it its foundation are the experiments that were conducted by Ivan Pavlov; these experiments enabled him to influence the behaviour of dogs with the use of external stimuli – an example of this is salivation at the sound of a bell in anticipation of the arrival of food. This was labelled ‘Classical Conditioning’. It was argued that this sort of conditioning plays a big part in human learning, particularly with regard to physiological functioning (i.e. salivation at the sound of a bell) or emotion (i.e. fears and phobias). James Watson embraced these ideas and was the first to use the term ‘behaviourism’. He believed that it was vital, in order to understand human behaviour and therefore learning, for one to adopt a scientifically measurable approach. He argued that all human behaviour is governed by conditioned responses and as such can be controlled and modified to suit any given purpose. He even went as far as to say that he could train any child to fulfil any job in society as long as he was healthy, as he believed that â€Å" there is nothing from within to develop† (1928). Both Watson and Pavlov thought â€Å"that the simultaneous occurrence of events is sufficient to bring about learning† and is â€Å"ordinarily referred to as the contiguity explanation† (Lefrancois 1994). In other words, the sound of a bell will induce salivation in dogs in anticipation of receiving food, once one is associated with the other; the salivation will occur at the sound of a bell after a while, even if there is no food given to the animal. Thorndike saw this in a different way believing that the effect of the response led learning to occur (termed the Law of Effect). He argued that a learner would repeat responses that brought positive results and that behaviour would be modified through a process of trial and error. This idea is what is known as the reinforcement approach which was further developed by B.F.Skinner. He stated that when reinforcement of any response occurs, it will be repeated and that this can enable control to be gained over people. These r einforcements can either be positive or negative – reward or punishment. He fully explored the relationship between responses and reinforcement and concluded that reinforcement brought about learning. This view is referred to as operant conditioning. Skinner contended that for learning to be effective it needed to be tackled in small stages, it needed to be logical/sequential, it needed to be based on prior knowledge, that the desired behaviour needed to be rewarded regularly in the initial stages and that reinforcement of the required or desired behaviour should happen immediately that it occurs. â€Å"†¦Skinner urges educators to focus on reinforcing student success rather than punishing student failure† and that â€Å"†¦reinforcement for appropriate responses is consistent and immediate, and learned behaviours are maintained by intermittent reinforcement schedules† (Ormrod 2004). As we can see, there is no place for feelings and individual thoughts in behaviourist theory. It is only concerned with what can be observed and it contends that evidence gathered through experiments indicates that there are a number of principles which can be applied to learning and that if these were adopted, the process would be made easier. They are the Law of Effect, the Law of Contiguity, the Law of Exercise (repeating an action or behaviour) and the Law of Reinforcement. The problem with this is that behaviourism provides only a very limited and mechanistic or mechanical way of looking at the process of learning, which is far too simple. It takes little to no account of the learner as an individual and assumes that the learner is passive and has no exercise of free will; it does not allow for differences in individuals and it can be manipulative if the provider wishes to use it in this way. By contrast, humanist thinkers such as Maslow and Rogers asked themselves what is it that makes us human. They approached their studies from a completely different angle and looked upon humanity as innately positive, as opposed to previous ideas which apparently painted life in a very dower and pessimistic manner. Rather than concentrating their studies on those who are suffering form illness, they looked at the behaviour of healthy people –â€Å"when you select out for careful study very fine and healthy people†¦you get a very different view of mankind† (Maslow 1971). The humanist approach encourages people to exercise free will in their lives, allowing them to be individuals in their own right and to highlight everything that is positive about them. This enables any given individual to have the opportunity to achieve their maximum possible potential in whatever they choose to do. They contend that purely scientific methods of studying behaviour are inadequate in assessing any human being (Chapter 6 The Humanistic Approach). Maslow presented his studies in the form of a ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ which indicates that all humans work towards satisfying or attaining their perceived needs â€Å"as a ladder of human achievement that must be climbed† (Trigg 2004). This is laid out in the form of a pyramid with each type of need building from the other while being closely interwoven with each other. At the base is the Physiological type which includes basic needs like air, food, water, shelter and sleep; the next type is Safety or Security which is concerned with stability and a feeling of being protected from harm; this leads on to the type which encompasses Belonging and Love which covers relationships with our family and our peers; the fourth level is that of Esteem which deals with issues of achievement, recognition and respect. Maslow separated these and grouped them together and termed them ‘deficiency needs’ or ‘D-motives’ stressing that a lack of fulfilment in an area will cause a person to act to remedy the problem. He felt that the pyramid was the best way to represent this system as people seemed to challenge themselves to achieve and work their way through the types to achieve their full potential; their motivation was to get better and reach their needs leading onto the next level, similar to the way in which a person who is learning a musical instrument will strive hard to achieve the next grade or a computer gamer will keep trying until he achieves the next level. The final type of needs are called ‘growth needs’, ‘being needs’ or ‘B-motives’ by Maslow. Once the initial needs described above are met, the need for the development within the individual becomes the prime driving force. This is described as Self Actualisation within the pyramid: subsequent versions of the hierarchy included more complex subdivisions within this type of need which serve to break down the areas of personal achievement into smaller categories. Maslow (1968) describes this growth as â€Å"†¦a rewarding and exciting process†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which continues to increase as the person develops throughout their life. Rogers holds similar views to Maslow when looking at the concept of self actualisation. He believes that humans are able to push themselves to achieve their full potential and that each and every person is unique in their ideas about themselves. They hold their own image of themselves in their minds in terms of how they see themselves, how much value they perceive themselves as having and how they would like to develop in the future. â€Å"Whether one calls it a growth tendency, a drive towards self-actualisation, or a forward-moving directional tendency, it is the mainspring of life†¦ it is the urge to expand, extend, become autonomous, develop, mature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rogers 1961). He believed that every individual has the ability to solve their own problems and that his role as a therapist was one of being some kind of ‘facilitator’ to aid the individuals thought processes and progress towards resolving their issues. Each ‘facilitator’ needs to displa y honesty, empathy and respect towards those whom he is trying to help. This environment is controlled by the individual who is being helped and Rogers believed that this was the only environment in which genuine learning could take place. Rogers went on to apply these principles to education. ‘Student centred learning’ enables individuals to take responsibility for their learning; the way that the teacher interacts with their class is crucial in the development of an environment that will encourage learning to take place: â€Å"†¦the facilitation of learning rests upon certain attitudinal qualities which exist in the personal relationship between the facilitator and learner† (Rogers 1969). They need to ensure that there are sufficient resources in place to aid the students, that they themselves are prepared to be a living resource and that they are prepared to act as a learner themselves within the classroom. As an idea, this is an alien concept to many teachers, even today. The idea of not being at the head of the class, dictating the direction that the learning is taking is frightening to a good number of educators. The traditional approach to teaching is being firmly challenged here with me mbers of the profession being asked to look at their methods, critically appraise them and react accordingly. The focus in this environment is the student not the teacher and it is â€Å"a system of providing learning which has the student at its heart† (Brandes and Ginnis 1986). Rogers (1984) sums this supportive environment up by commenting that â€Å"person centred education is much like my rose garden – it needs a caring environment to sustain its beauty.† This sort of approach in the classroom can be very effective as long as both the staff and the pupils enter into the process wholeheartedly. There are many different activities that can focus on the student as an individual in order to allow them to develop and grow as individuals and learn from each other. Initially it is important for the group to set out ground rules so that every individual is aware of how the process works and to ensure that all of the group feel comfortable with the approach that is being taken. These ground rules can include things like not interrupting or talking over the top of someone when they are speaking, thus encouraging every individual to have respect for the others. Once the group have agreed to these ground rules, every activity can be approached with individuals having the same expectations of each other. It is important to note that if there are any new arrivals to the group, these need revisiting to ensure that the newcomer also feels a sense of ownership for them. Group activities where everyone has the opportunity to learn are extremely valuable; examples that I have used are mind mapping (brainstorming), problem solving, open discussion and the circle. The great strength of the circle is that everyone can see and hear everyone else; each person, including the facilitator is on the same level and can physically be regarded as being the same – a listener and a learner. The topic of discussion or the theme that is being addressed can then be opened up to the group; each person has the opportunity to speak if they wish to, with the way that this is organised being decided prior to the circle forming. Sometimes hands up can be used, at other times one person in the group can be placed as a chairperson or even a pencil case or ruler could be passed from the person who is speaking to the next person to speak. This way of organising the group allows each person to feel that they can contribute if they wish to and quieter people can also be in volved by the facilitator in order to broaden their horizons. It also encourages students to listen to and take notice of the views of others even if they ultimately reject them as not being for them. It encourages people to be open with each other without fear of being laughed at, shouted down or humiliated because of what they think or say. It does take a while to get used to this system of learning but it has huge benefits for all those who are open to it. It allows the student to appreciate and develop their own views through consideration of others, broadening their outlook in the process. I have heard the expression ‘Oh, I hadn’t thought of it like that’ during circle time on many occasions. Circle time can also be used to feedback from small group discussions and research that has been undertaken outside the classroom. Role plays are another excellent way of finding out what a small group have understood about a particular topic, through the content of their offering to the rest of the class. Not only does this allow the students to express themselves in their own way but it also encourages different styles of learners to flourish in the classroom and further encourages students to learn from one another. Clearly the teacher or facilitator needs to be comfortable with this process as it is taking place and retain their authority within the classroom. This is a difficult balance to find and is one which some people find it almost impossible to do. Within the traditional school environment this sort of approach is unheard of due to the seemingly unstructured and undisciplined way of tackling any work. Military establishments may have the same views due to the highly disciplined nature of what the soldiers are trained to do. However, the question remains as to whether this sort of humanistic approach can work in that environment. It would seem that whether the approach would work would depend upon the nature of what the learner was attempting to learn and where he is attempting to learn it. The military have traditionally relied upon the behaviourist model as it best suits their purpose. The instructors can employ both positive and negative reinforcement to train the soldiers to do what they have to in the field of battle or ‘theatre of war’. Soldiers do not have time to think about how to reload a weapon or whether it is right to fire when they are in the middle of a battle zone. The way that they are taught reflects the arena in which they will have to perform their set tasks; reloading a weapon today is far easier than it was in the days of muskets, but soldiers still have to be disciplined and keep their heads in difficult pressurised situations. Being taught in a mechanised fashion will help them as tasks will become second nature due to the consistent repetition that has taken place on the training ground. My father could still tell me how to strip down, clean, oil and rebuild his weapon in every detail some 20 years after having left the armed forces. This can also be said of manoeuvres that are vital to the survival of a unit of men. They are ‘drummed’ into the minds of the soldiers so that they are become an automatic reaction to a given stimulus. This could ultimately save their lives and the lives of those around them. An example of this is the reaction to a very loud bang in a public house one day while I was enjoying a drink with my two brothers in law, both then in the Army; they had just returned from Northern Ireland when this incident happened. The loud bang went off and I looked around to find them both on the floor tight up against the skirting boards on opposite sides of the room. This was a conditioned response to the loud bang and was as a result of their extensive survival and battle training. Much of military training cannot afford to co ncern itself with the individual needs of each of the soldiers – it must simplify the learning so that the whole reacts (as far as possible) in a predicable way. In short, when an order is given it is obeyed immediately, without fail. There would however seem to be a place for the humanistic approach within the modern military environment too. Within the confines of a classroom, when conducting classes which are concerned with basic skills such as literacy, numeracy and IT there may well be an opportunity to utilise this type of learning strategy. Everyone likes their opinion to be taken notice of, to feel that they are contributing and to be listened to. Those who are undertaking officer training are required to problem solve – this can be done using this different approach and will allow the learner to express themselves as they are doing so. Individuals need to be given the opportunity to develop themselves to the best of their ability and this needs to be facilitated in all environments of learning, including the military. There is a place for freedom of expression, in the right place at the right time. It would seem that there would need to be strong leadership in order that these sorts of methods coul d be introduced and continue to be used in a military environment, as their implementation would involve a change in long held and established practises. There also needs to be an acknowledgement â€Å"that traditional training approaches, which place an emphasis on replication or imitative learning, are unsuited to fostering the longer term individual and organisational development outcomes required by a significantly changed operational environment† (Thomas 2006). Catering for the individual strengths and needs of individual soldiers can foster a greater sense of loyalty in them and an even greater motivation to succeed not only for themselves but their fellow men. This is particularly important in this rapidly changing modern technological world. In the modern military environment, there would seem to be a place for both the traditional behaviourist and the humanist approaches to learning. Given that all those involved understand that certain situations require different methods of teaching to be employed and accept that from the outset, there is no reason why both cannot be employed. All soldiers understand the need to obey orders and that certain tasks will need to be done like an automaton in order for them to be successful in what they do. It is essential that there is also an acknowledgement that there is a place for people to want to achieve the best that they can within their environment as an individual, as well as for the collective. As Rogers (1980) explains â€Å"the actualising tendency can be thwarted or warped, but cannot be destroyed without destroying the organism.† It is also important to note that â€Å"†¦with this self-actualisation, individuals can engender life long learning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ki el 1999). There are many differing ways that people learn and it is up to different organisations to adopt the method or methods that are best suited to bring them success in their field. That does not negate the need however, for all providers to reflect upon and modify their methods to best effect from time to time. The military have hundreds of years to tradition to fall back on, but need to ‘move with the times’ and accept that the humanist approach in certain areas of their educational provision can be of benefit to both individuals and the military as a whole. Bibliography Chapter 6 The Humanistic Approach Brandes, D. Ginnis, P. 1986 A Guide to Student-Centred Learning Oxford: Basil Blackwood Lefrancois, G.R. 1994 from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Maslow, A. 1971 The Farther Reaches of Human Nature New York: Viking Maslow, A. 1968 Towards a Psychology of Being (2nd Ed) New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold Ormrod, J.E. 2004 Human Learning (4th Ed) from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Rogers, C.R.R. 1961 On Becoming a Person Boston: Houghton Mifflin Rogers, C.R.R. 1969 Freedom to Learn Columbus, Ohio: Charles E Merrill Publishing Rogers, C.R.R. 1980 A Way of Being Boston: Houghton Mifflin Watson, J.B. 1928 The Psychological Care of Infant and Child from Tutor notes Behaviourist Theories of Learning Rogers, C.R.R. 1984 from Frieberg, H.J. 1999 Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming: Lessons Learned Alexandria Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Kiel, J.M. 1999 Reshaping Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to Reflect Todays Educational and Managerial Philosophies Journal of Instructional Psychology, Vol. 26 Thomas, K 2006 Leadership Development in the Military: Bridging Theory and Practice International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 6(2-4) Trigg, A.B. 2004 Deriving the Engel Curve: Pierre Bordieu and the Social Critique of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Review of Social Economy, Vol.62

management :: essays research papers

Introduction: The report is about Teenstuff Magazine. The magazine was established 9years ago in Egypt by Manal El Mahdy to target teenagers in high school and university. Later on the magazine became more tailored to the high school youth. The purpose of the report is to analyze the management of this organization through review of it’s external and internal environment, mission statement and SWOT analysis. Interviews were carried out with the assistant marketing manager Sandra Adel and the distribution manager Yasser Hashem. Aside from the print magazine there is an online one and another Arabic magazine â€Å"Kelmetna†. II-Body: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  External environment: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General: From the general environment in the external environment the economic and political dimension are considered to be the most two influential dimensions on the organization. The economic dimension affects a lot of decision in the organization including day to day business especially that the economy in Egypt is unstable. For example when the Egyptian pound was floated and the price of the dollar increased the costs of printing in the magazine increased and the price had to be increased like wise which had a huge effect on the overall organization and customers. Secondly, the effect of political dimension is manifested in the censorship practiced. When, the country is in state of chaos and instability censorship increases. The international dimension doesn’t have a very influential effect because the magazine’s market is mainly Egypt and the online version that aims to target Arabs outside Egypt is new too. There is no worry from the socio-cultural dimension since the maga zine whether content or appearance is highly adaptable to changes in the society. As for the technological dimension, the magazine benefits hugely of course from new developments as long as, its costs is reasonable and affordable by the magazine. For example the editors and designers use Apple computers and special programs for the layout and design of the magazine. b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Task : The magazine is considered a category leader since it’s the first English youth targeting magazine in Egypt and till this moment there is no real direct competition. There is an indirect competition from other magazines such as campus and g-mag. There is only one supplier with whom the magazine deals with; SAHARA printing press. The magazine has a certain quality which only 2 printing press houses in Egypt can achieve, they left IBH because of problems that has to do with the paper binding and deadlines. management :: essays research papers Introduction: The report is about Teenstuff Magazine. The magazine was established 9years ago in Egypt by Manal El Mahdy to target teenagers in high school and university. Later on the magazine became more tailored to the high school youth. The purpose of the report is to analyze the management of this organization through review of it’s external and internal environment, mission statement and SWOT analysis. Interviews were carried out with the assistant marketing manager Sandra Adel and the distribution manager Yasser Hashem. Aside from the print magazine there is an online one and another Arabic magazine â€Å"Kelmetna†. II-Body: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  External environment: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General: From the general environment in the external environment the economic and political dimension are considered to be the most two influential dimensions on the organization. The economic dimension affects a lot of decision in the organization including day to day business especially that the economy in Egypt is unstable. For example when the Egyptian pound was floated and the price of the dollar increased the costs of printing in the magazine increased and the price had to be increased like wise which had a huge effect on the overall organization and customers. Secondly, the effect of political dimension is manifested in the censorship practiced. When, the country is in state of chaos and instability censorship increases. The international dimension doesn’t have a very influential effect because the magazine’s market is mainly Egypt and the online version that aims to target Arabs outside Egypt is new too. There is no worry from the socio-cultural dimension since the maga zine whether content or appearance is highly adaptable to changes in the society. As for the technological dimension, the magazine benefits hugely of course from new developments as long as, its costs is reasonable and affordable by the magazine. For example the editors and designers use Apple computers and special programs for the layout and design of the magazine. b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Task : The magazine is considered a category leader since it’s the first English youth targeting magazine in Egypt and till this moment there is no real direct competition. There is an indirect competition from other magazines such as campus and g-mag. There is only one supplier with whom the magazine deals with; SAHARA printing press. The magazine has a certain quality which only 2 printing press houses in Egypt can achieve, they left IBH because of problems that has to do with the paper binding and deadlines.

Com 156 Research Plan

Associate Level Material Appendix D Research Plan As part of your research plan, you must first draft a research question for your research paper that will guide the rest of your writing. A research question, which is more specific and focused than a general topic, is the question that your research paper will be answering. For example, if your general area of interest is social security, a possible research question might ask â€Å"How can low-income families save more money if the United States had a reformed social security plan that includes personal retirement accounts? As you develop a research question, keep in mind that you will need to research sources to support your topic. Do not pick a one-sided question that will limit your research. Instead, develop a research question that lends itself to further exploration and debate—a question for which you genuinely want to know the answer. Try to pick a research question that is neither too broad, which covers too much, or too narrow, which covers too little. It should be broad enough to be discussed in a short research paper. What is your general topic or area of interest? What is it about your general topic of interest that interests you? What questions do you have about the topic that you would like to investigate? List them. Would any of the questions you listed about the topic make a good subject for a research paper? Pick or adapt one question and make it into a research question. Why do you think this research question will be appropriate for a research paper? How is your research question significant or relevant to a wider community? What background information provides the preliminary grounds for your research? What are some expert or authoritative sources of information on this research question? What type of materials will you need to review for your research paper? What procedures will you follow to conduct your research? What difficulties do you anticipate in conducting your research?

Silent Spring Essay - 1350 Words

The Death of Beauty Albert Einstein once said, Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Similar to Einstein, the author Rachel Carson believed that human kind should embrace natures and help preserve its beauty and life . In the passage from the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, the author informs and persuades her audience against the dangers and misuse of pesticides. Rachel Carson is a renowned writer, ecologist, and scientist who dedicated her life to the conservation of the environment. Throughout her career as an editor in chief, marine biologist, and environmental activist, Carson continued to educate the public about the†¦show more content†¦Carson instills fear among her audience at the farmers lack of emotion towards bloodshed, leaving the reader to question who is to blame. Sparking the readers interest, Carson introduces an authority, who she describes as havi ng a direct affiliation with the farmers who were, persuaded of the merits of killing by poison (paragraph 2). The farmers are misinformed and act without reason, only following what was told to them. The violence against blackbirds provides benefits or merits of death that outweigh moral reasoning and the consequences of using poison. The war between an unknown authority and animals is a one sided one, which involves exterminating the helpless and the innocent with a substance that has deadly effects. Acting on orders, without emotion, farmers made the fatal decision and, they sent in the planes on their mission of death (paragraph 2). Carson uses the term mission of death to symbolize the authorities sending in soldiers in a war who are ordered to kill anything in sight. Comparing a war to the farmers actions brings memories of blood, fear, and endless suffering to the reader. Carson relates to the readers experiences of war and uses the negative associations to connect it the fa rmers. Armed with planes, the farmers mission of death resulted in the deaths of over 65,000 victims of blackbirds and starlings. Carson writes that casualties most likely gratified the farmers, that the deaths were the spoils of war.Show MoreRelatedSilent Spring Essay701 Words   |  3 PagesUp until the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, DDT was widely considered a very effective and safe pesticide. Many had always questioned DDT’s safety but it wasnt until Silent Spring that people began to realize the harm DDT was doing to the environment, animals, and themselves. In her book Carson explains how DDT exploits the interconnectedness of nature and as a result was silencing not just the environment and animals-but humans as well. 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Obesity And Its Effects On The Health Of Americans And...

Obesity is a very serious threat to the health of Americans and people all across the world. A plethora of studies have been done to confirm the adverse effects of obesity on an individual s health. Obesity rates have been skyrocketing in the past 30 years. The year 2000 marked the first time in human history that the percentage of obesity in the human population rose over 50% (Obesity: A Cultural and Biocultural Perspective). Obesity, as well as childhood obesity, is more prevalent than ever. There has been little done by the American people and the U.S. government to reverse this trend. My research has shown that the problem of obesity is a much larger problem than most people believe it to be. Many Americans underestimate the†¦show more content†¦Medical professionals define obesity by an individual s body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by taking an individual’s weight and dividing it by their height squared. For adults, a healthy BMI is considered 18.5-24.9 percent. A BMI of 25 to 29 percent is considered â€Å"overweight† which is different than obesity. An individual whose BMI is 30 percent or over is considered to be obese. The rates of obesity in America are among the highest in the world. In 2012 it was reported by the Center for Disease Control that 35.1 percent of adults living in the U.S. are obese (BMI of 30 or over). However, overweight and obese americans account for an astonishing 69 percent of the U.S. population. It is projected that by 2030 over half of all adults (115 million adults) in the U.S. will be obese. With obesity rates higher than ever, it begs the question as to what caused it? There are many reasons obesity is so prevalent. The official Mayo Clinic website lists only two causes: unhealthy diet or eating habits, and inactivity. However, although these are the only two causes they list, the actual causation of obesity goes deeper than that.There are many other risk factors that come into play and put someone at risk for being obese. This includes but is not limited to: genetics, family lifestyle, inactivity, unhealthy diet, medical problems, medications, social and economical issues, age, pregnancy, quitting smoking, and

Challenges of Development in Sumer and Egypt Essay

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Supply Chain Integration Strategies Industries

Question: Discuss about the Supply Chain Integration Strategies Industries. Answer: Introduction: There are lots of issues at MDC presently. On the other hand, due to increased competition, its customers have started demanding complete solutions and not just material and also want to hold fewer inventories at their end. As a result, things are quite challenging for the MDC. Also, Inventory turnover is very low at MDC which means there is already too much inventory which is not getting converted to sales. Apart from this, MDC has to manufacture too many SKUs as the exact requirement of the usage of the particular SKU is predicated at the last stage and sometimes even during operations doctor decide which variant of the product is to be used. In such situations, variants which were not used become obsolete. Product obsolescence has also increased at MDC in last few months. Considering the present situation at MDC, the best strategy would be to use the VMI (Vendor Manager Inventory) as well as postponement. Together these 2 strategies will transform the MDC business operations, eliminates the current problems and also provide very good experience for its customers. Let us look into detail how each of the strategy will help: Vendor Managed Inventory: Hospitals are demanding the lower levels of stock holdings from the MDC. Thus, MDC can think of using VMI where hospitals will share their forecasts and demand information with the MDC and MDC will maintain as well as own the inventory at the hospitals location. Once the inventory is converted into Sales, it will be transferred to books of hospitals (Donavan, Manuj, 2015). This will help the hospital to lock less investment in holding the inventory which is one of their prime concerns. Also, this strategy will help the MDC to improve the inventory turnover as the bullwhip effect will be lowered over the supply chain and it can forecasts demand better when they have full visibility of the data at the hospital. Thus, it is a win-win situation for both the parties. Postponement at Warehouse: Another strategy is the postponement which is also known as delayed differentiation. Thus approach is usually followed by the organization that provides mass customized products like Dell, Paint industry and so on. In this approach, organizations manufactures subassemblies/common components which are common across the product and then manufactures final product only after the customer order is received. Thus, it can first push material to a point in the supply chain from where it is pulled based on the customer requirements (Ivanov, Tsipoulanidis, Schonberger, 2017). MDC also provides quite a large number of variants so it can adopt this strategy at its warehouses. This will help the MDC to fulfill the demands of the hospitals in a less lead time and that too without building too much inventory. This will improve the inventory turnover rate at MDC and also decrease the product obsolescence. Cross docking: Currently, Products are shipped to 15 warehouses from manufacturing plants. From these 15 warehouses, products are again shipped to other 40 warehouses which are located near the urban areas across Europe. Thus, there will be excessive material handling where first material is unloaded for storing in warehouse and then again it is handled for putting in outbound vehicles. Cross docking is a strategy where material is not stored at warehouse; it will be simply transferred from incoming vehicles to outbound vehicles (Nikolopoulou, Repoussis, Tarantilis, Zachariadis, 2017). If this strategy is not followed for all the products, it can be employed by MDC at least for those products which relatively have a higher and predictable demand. This will help the organization to save the cost, time as well as space on warehouse. Organizations like Coca cola uses this strategy and has benefitted by it. Postponement at Hospitals locations: This approach will be the best for the MDC. Although it can be little expensive as it had to install some machines and appoints some people at hospitals location who can build the exact product at the last moment. But this will drastically cut down the product obsolescence rate, the levels of inventory owned by the Hospital as well as by the MDC. Also, this approach will work if Hospital is agreed form VMI and allocating a space to MDC at its locations. MDC can also start pilot project of combing VMI and postponement and then can roll out this strategy for other customers once it realized the huge benefits of this approach (Sabet, Yazdanu, De Leeuw, 2016). The fundamental reasons for success, with a comparison to another successful and an unsuccessful company? Logistics strategy is one of most important in any organization because it also helps in the formulation of high level strategy. While some years back, logistics was used to be considered as a part of supply chain but now it has been treated as an independent function which drives the while supply chain. Agility, cost, responsiveness, quality, high inventory turnover which are some of the parameters to measure supply chain excellence can be influenced heavily by the logistics strategy of the organization. In its most basic sense, logistics is how the organization is fulfilling the needs of its customers and also buying the raw materials from the suppliers. There are often multiple tradeoffs. For instance, lower lead time will increase the agility and responsiveness of supply chain and helps you to lower your inventory levels but costs will be higher so as to use fastest means of transportation like Air. Waterways are the cheapest means of transportation but they are quite slow and of ten increase the lead time. Different organizations compete with each other not just based on their business model but also based on its logistics strategy. During 1990s, Compaq was the worlds leader in selling PCs. Compaq provides more reliable and high graphics PCs at reasonable prices. However it did not offer the customization. When Dell came, it was able to provide the customized products to every customer using its innovative logistics strategy which is of delaying differentiation to farthest point in supply chain as possible which is also known as postponement (Brumme, Simonovich, Skinner, Van Wassenhove, 2015). There were other vendors like Microsoft, IBM and HP but they have many other business lines and also cash rich. In this case study, Like Dell, MDC also has unpredictable demand for its products and also the lead time is on the higher side, so the postponement strategy will work for MDC also. MDC also has to keep the many variants ready but only Doctor decides on the spot which variant to choose and hospitals also wants to bear the cost of that variant also and not the other variants. Thus, Postponement will be the best solution for MDC to satisfy customer as well as to improve its own financial statistics. How can the company maintain its competitive advantage? MDC can maintain its competitive advantage by delivering not just the medical devices but by delivering entire solutions to its customers. In this complex and dynamic world where companies have to constantly innovate their business model to keep the pace with the competitors, it becomes imperative for them to provide complete solutions to their customers. Thus, MDC can maintain its competitive advantage by tailoring the solution for its customers and solving their business problems (Thompson, Peteraf, gamble, Strickland, Jain, 2013). For instance, Hospitals want to hold less inventory so as to lock less investment, MDC can provide VMI solution to address such solutions whereby inventory will be owned by the MDC but will be maintained at the premise of the hospital. It will be transferred to hospitals only when it is converted to sales. Hospitals inventory turnover ratio in such cases will become very high and keep them quite competitive. And if the Hospital business is thriving i.e. Hospital in this case due to MDC business strategy, then it is definitely a competitive advantage for the MDC (Thompson, Peteraf, gamble, Strickland, Jain, 2013). Another issue hospitals are facing is frequent stock-outs. Stock-outs occur when hospitals are not able to match supply and demand and prefer to order fewer inventories to avoid loss of obsolescence. At such times, VMI will help to eliminate the Bullwhip effect by enabling MDC to forecast and maintain the inventory at the hospitals. This will also help in tackling the issue of stock-outs for hospitals without costing them a single cent. Another solution it could offer is postponement to manufacture only those variants just in time which are actually required. Could this be suitable for other companies and if so explain why, if not explain why? Whether these strategies are suitable for other companies or not depends upon the business model of the company. For instance, the companies which have predictable demand dont need to apply postponement because demand is already known. On the other hand, an organization that does not have predictable demand and manufactures mass customized products has to use postponement. Also, postponement is also of many types. Producing mass customized products is 1 type. Another type of postponement strategy is labeling strategy which means delaying the labeling on a product to la last moment so that it can be used to fulfill the requirement for any region by using appropriate language for labeling. Walmart uses VMI approach because it had to stock the various brands with huge inventories and suppliers compete with each other to get a good shelf in Walmart. Similarly, if you are relatively new store, suppliers will not be ready to managed inventory at your end. Thus, there are numerous logistics strategies like Postponement, cross docking, VMI and there is no one size that fits all. There is always one of its kind solutions that organizations have to tailor for themselves based on their business solutions. 1 strategy could be suitable for 1 company but can be detrimental to other. Discuss the concept of sustainability and its relevance to the company featured in the case study According to a research, not more than 50% of the companies survive or at least maintain their leadership status beyond a period of 16 years (Hansen, Dunker, 2013). And that is the reason concept of sustainability is important. In this Globalized world of digital revolution where disruptive technology like internet of things and many others are evolving, it is very much important for nay organization to constantly innovate its business model in order to survive. Kodak and Xerox failed to innovate themselves and thus lost their leadership status with the time (Cuthbertson, Furseth, Ezell, 2015). Similarly, no matter how innovative range of medical devices MDC manufactures, if it has to survive it has to constantly upgrade itself. Although its range of products is very good but it can no longer be a differentiator in a todays world where competitors are ready to provide complete solutions. Customer these days (Hospitals particularly in this case) is not only expecting the products to be good but they want end to end solutions that help them to lower their cost of business. The true mantra for the success for any company is to lower the cost of operations for its customers. In this case, if MDC is able to help hospital to meet its challenges by inculcating strategies like VMI and Postponement, only then hospitals will buy the services of MDC and MDC will remain sustainable. It is possible that after few years even VMI and postponement is not sufficient. Then MDC has to innovate methods to woo its customers. Recommendations After analyzing the case at MDC, several strategies are recommended that can help the MDC and its customers. VMI is recommended to MDC so as to meet the requirement of hospitals to hold fewer inventories. On the other hand, VMI will also help the MDC to better forecast demands at the hospitals and increasing sales by decreasing the stock outs. Postponement is also recommended because hospitals want to pay for the variant which they actually use and not for all the variants. This has also resulted in the obsolescence. Thus, Postponement will help the MDC to provide hospitals exactly what they need quickly and creates win-win situation for both and it will also increase the inventory turnover for the MDC. Conclusion This case study discusses about the various challenges that MDC is facing. Not only this, its customers are also facing challenges and starts demanding more from the MDC. MDC has to innovate its strategy to meet the current challenges and provides complete solutions to the hospitals. No matter how good the products of MDC are but until they provide the complete solutions to their customers, they will not be competitive in the market. Bibliography Brumme, H., Simonovich, D., Skinner, W., Van Wassenhove, L. N. (2015). The Strategy?Focused Factory in Turbulent Times.Production and Operations Management,24(10), 1513-1523. Cuthbertson, R., Furseth, P. I., Ezell, S. J. (2015). Kodak and Xerox: How High Risk Aversion Kills Companies. InInnovating in a Service-Driven Economy(pp. 166-179). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Donovan, P. S., Manuj, I. (2015). A Comprehensive Theoretical Model of the Complex Strategic Demand Management Process.Transportation Journal,54(2), 213-239. Hansen, E. G., Grosse-Dunker, F. (2013). Sustainability-oriented innovation. InEncyclopedia of corporate social responsibility(pp. 2407-2417). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Ivanov, D., Tsipoulanidis, A., Schnberger, J. (2017). Production Strategy. InGlobal Supply Chain and Operations Management(pp. 121-140). Springer International Publishing. Nikolopoulou, A. I., Repoussis, P. P., Tarantilis, C. D., Zachariadis, E. E. (2017). Moving products between location pairs: Cross-docking versus direct-shipping.European Journal of Operational Research,256(3), 803-819. Sabet, E., Yazdani, B., De Leeuw, S. (2016). Supply chain integration strategies in fast evolving industries.International Journal of Logistics Management. Thompson, A., Peteraf, M., Gamble, J., Strickland III, A. J., Jain, A. K. (2013).Crafting Executing Strategy 19/e: The Quest for Competitive Advantage: Concepts and Cases. McGraw-Hill Education.